Texas Set for Second Special Session on Mid-Decade Redistricting

Texas lawmakers are escalating a high-stakes battle over mid-decade redistricting, with GOP leaders signaling they will reconvene a second special session to push a map that would add as many as five Republican seats in the U.S. House for the 2026 elections. Democrats who fled the state to deny a quorum remain out of state as the clock ticks on a 30-day special session, and Republican officials have warned they will end the current session and immediately call another if enough members do not return. The move is part of President Trump’s push to redraw congressional boundaries amid broad national debate about gerrymandering, voting rules and the balance of power in Congress.

The Texas plan, long anticipated by Republicans, would redraw districts to tilt the federal map in favor of the GOP. House Speaker Dustin Burrows indicated that, if Democrats keep their absence, the current session could be dissolved and a fresh one opened, carrying the same redistricting agenda. Governor Greg Abbott, a Trump ally, reflected the same intent, noting that the agenda would be repeated and that a “Texas first” map would be pursued until passed. At stake is a redistricting package that would...